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Dead Kennedys To Tour The UK

 
  

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Shortfatdyke
15:51 / 14.02.02
yes, of course that's the dk's without uncle jello. apparently they're doing a few dates here in early summer, including one in camden.

following on from earlier discussions about the legal case, has anyone seen the new line up?
 
 
A
07:10 / 15.02.02
The Dead Kennedys without Jello Biafra? Good freakin' lord, that's the worst thing i've heard in a very long time.

Jello WAS the Dead Kennedies. I mean, the other guys were pretty good, but Jello is one of the most distictive, charismatic vocalists in musical history.

Who are they going to replace him with?

It all just sounds very, very wrong, and kinda adds to the perception that the Dead Kennedies are money hungry jackasses.
 
 
Shortfatdyke
07:10 / 15.02.02
a bloke called brandon cruz is apparently singing with them now. they're playing london in june and i'm tempted to go along out of interest....possibly just to people watch rather than pay to see the band.
 
 
ghadis
10:53 / 15.02.02
Yeah i'd be curious to see them but count c is right...Jello was the DKs...That whole court thing was one of the most depressing things i've read about in a long time...All we need now is for the Clash to reform in order to present the new series of ITV's 'Punk Idol' and i'm burning all my records and erasing the whole punk thing from my memory!!
 
 
rizla mission
12:41 / 15.02.02
what. the. fuck.

I'm lost for words .. I mean .. how horrible!

I mean, just, WHY?
 
 
Shortfatdyke
15:32 / 15.02.02
rizla - i feel your despair!

i intend going along to the london gig and finding some answers.....
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
15:39 / 15.02.02
Eeek.

That reminds me to go get some DK's, now, though.

Oh, and Joe Strummer is a tit.
 
 
Red Cross Iodized Salt
09:42 / 16.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Rizla Year Zero:
I mean, just, WHY?[/QB]


$$$$$$$$$$
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
09:42 / 16.02.02
DKs with no Jello? Fuck.
(Although, sfd, I must admit I'm tempted.)
Showing my sad goth credentials here, but the DKs without Jello is just as bad an idea as Fields of the Nephilim without Carl McCoy (ie Rubicon). Which was shit.
But that "slowing down to look at car accidents" part of my brain is saying YES...
Oh, and Riz? I think your "WHY?" question is pretty much a no-brainer- THEY WANT THE MONEY.
Whether the greedhead bastards get MINE I have yet to decide.
 
 
A
09:42 / 16.02.02
I did a google search, and apparently Brandon Cruz is a former child TV star who has sung in a few punk bands, and currently sings for Dr. Know (i assume that this is the guy from Bad Brains, and not some band stealing his name).

The Dead Kennedys have replaced Jello Biafra with a former child TV star. Try saying that out loud a few times.

(edited to fix typo)

[ 16-02-2002: Message edited by: count adam ]
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
09:42 / 16.02.02
To be honest, I'd rather NOT try saying it out loud. Saying stuff out loud makes it more memorable. What I will (and just did) say out loud is...
OH FUCK.
 
 
rizla mission
11:10 / 16.02.02
How about I hire a church hall, and all the Kennedy's fans can come along for free and I'll put on my copy of the live album and prtoject some photo's of them playing on the wall?

That would be way better..
 
 
Shortfatdyke
06:31 / 17.02.02
i should make it clear that i'm not going to see the band....if i was a proper journo, i would go to the gig, but i'm intending writing an article based on the audience - not in a piss-takey way, but i'm very interested in who goes, why, what they think of the whole non-jello thing.....
 
 
bio k9
07:03 / 17.02.02
Just talk to the kids in line then, if there are any. Please tell me this is in a small venue. Like someones backyard.
 
 
Shortfatdyke
07:06 / 17.02.02
bio - it's a downstairs bar in a pub. very small venue. there's another bar upstairs, and that's where i'm intending to hang around and talk to people.
 
 
bio k9
07:11 / 17.02.02
Hell, that don't sound so bad. Its like they're a bar band. I can hear the heckling already.

Maybe a group of you should go and chant

JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!

until the cry or leave the stage.

or throw you out.
 
 
Prisoner no. 1300
15:28 / 17.02.02
A child star fronting DK?

That's worse than Blink 182!

In fact...
 
 
Prisoner no. 1300
15:30 / 17.02.02
... nope, I can't bring myself to type it.

I was going to say that's worse than Linkin Park, but that's impossible.
 
 
tSuibhne
19:28 / 19.02.02
quote:Originally posted by count adam:
I did a google search, and apparently Brandon Cruz is a former child TV star who has sung in a few punk bands, and currently sings for Dr. Know (i assume that this is the guy from Bad Brains, and not some band stealing his name).


For the Americans who're wondering. Brandon Cruz was eddie in The Courtship Of Eddie's Father. Staring, I beleave, the guy that played Bruce Banner in the Hulk TV show.

I saw him on "Where Are They Now?" on VH1. If memory servers, I don't think Dr. Know has anything to do with Bad Brains (who are now known as Soul Brains, BTW, and are playing with the original line-up again).

The Courtship... was a TV show back in the 60's.
 
 
tSuibhne
19:40 / 19.02.02
What I think is funny is this sheds a whole new light on the legal battle. Jello said they sued because he refused to let them do a bunch of shit. They say no. But, when given the chance, they go and do everything that Jello said they wanted to do. I'm waiting for the jeans commercial with Holiday In Cambodia.

 
 
rizla mission
10:36 / 20.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Bio K9:
Hell, that don't sound so bad. Its like they're a bar band. I can hear the heckling already.

Maybe a group of you should go and chant

JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!
JELLO!

until the cry or leave the stage.

or throw you out.


good idea! 'cept they'd still get yer money..

I'll be interested to read sfd's article .. I mean, 'most politically-minded no-sell out type band EVER (with similarly minded fanbase) does crappy sell out tour' - whose gonna turn up except 13 year old Bad Religion fans and people looking to cause trouble in the manner outlined above?
 
 
Shortfatdyke
11:47 / 20.02.02
rizla - so you think the article's worth a go? i was worried it would appear patronising, but i really am interested in the audience, far more so than the band.
 
 
grant
13:47 / 20.02.02
there was an article in the local alternative weekly a couple weeks ago when they came here. East Bay Ray (who is now in his *50s*) says they get a crowd of people looking for a party, and they give it to them.

Bizarre.

Here's a related article, from DH Peligro's point of view:
quote:New Times Broward-Palm Beach


February 7, 2002 Thursday

SECTION: Music/Columns

LENGTH: 1485 words

HEADLINE: Better Dead
Ever get the feeling you've been cheated... by the Dead Kennedys?

BYLINE: By Jeff Stratton

BODY:
Nothing D.H. Peligro says sounds convincing. He's afraid of each question, perhaps worried that he'll come up empty-handed when asked, "Why?"Why did he help rob the grave of the dead Dead Kennedys, America's best-loved primordial punks, after a 19-month legal battle during which singer Jello Biafra and his breakaway bandmates Peligro (drums), East Bay Ray (guitar), and Klaus Flouride (bass) trashed their own legacy? Why rewrite history by touring under the old trademark with Brandon Cruz (the all-growed-up child actor who starred in The Courtship of Eddie's Father) in Biafra's place -- something Peligro clearly knows is wrong? Why, why, why?

"Kids with punk-rock record collections have never seen the band live," he hesitantly replies. "So we get to play for them now, and I'm grateful."

But are the kids grateful? Not the ones old enough to know better. Jaded punks are accustomed to seeing idols disavow their old ideals -- but not a band that espoused them as passionately as did the Dead Kennedys, which built its career on Biafra's scathing social criticism. No sooner had the gravy train pulled out of the station last month (heading to South America and then Biafra's Colorado birthplace) than the un-Dead Kennedys ran into trouble. Stories have surfaced describing shaky musicianship on the comeback tour, which Peligro (born Darren Henley) doesn't deny. Crowds have reportedly responded with near-hostility, which he downplays. "There's a few people who yell things," he admits. "They come with their minds closed." What are they yelling? "Pretty much just "Where's Jello?' -- that sort of thing. But they leave feeling satisfied. I hope. I can't speak for them." His voice betrays a certain lack of confidence in the morality of his endeavors.

Then again, it's only fair to say the conflict is a dream story for music journalists. The Dead Kennedys made themselves into such easy targets that taking swings at them now is patently unsatisfying. The foursome was founded on Biafra's venomous disdain of all things corporate, his desire to kick rednecks and conservatives in the balls, and his plan to actively dismantle authority, religion, and all indoctrinated belief systems. Those ideals seemed to unravel between 1998 and this past December, when a San Francisco judge upheld a jury's decision finding Biafra guilty of defrauding his former colleagues to the tune of nearly $200,000 in actual and punitive damages.

The dispute centered on the Dead Kennedys' six-album back catalog, which was overseen by Alternative Tentacles, the label Biafra has owned since 1986. A bookkeeping discrepancy remained undiscovered for a decade, when a label employee realized the Dead Kennedys, as a collective, had been shortchanged $76,000 in royalties. That employee later tipped off Ray, who, along with Peligro and Flouride, filed suit against Alternative Tentacles in October 1998 for back payment and failing to adequately promote the Dead Kennedys' albums. In May 2000, a jury found Biafra liable.

The cantankerous singer, whose caustic spoken-word albums and Green Party presidential candidacy have kept him (and the defunct Kennedys) in the public eye, lost control of the band's catalog in the settlement. He's also unable to prevent his former chums from rereleasing old live material he's tried to suppress. While Biafra appealed, the remaining Dead Kennedys released what he termed a "poor" live album culled from shows in 1982 and 1986 called Mutiny by the Bay. Then they began performing with Cruz in what Biafra has slammed as "the world's greediest karaoke band."

Formed in San Francisco in 1978, the Dead Kennedys held the title of America's first hardcore band. But unlike the vast majority of its punk-rock contemporaries, the Dead Kennedys never attempted to conquer through sheer amplification.

Peligro joined after issuance of the first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, which introduced breakneck tempos, slaughterhouse furor, and Biafra's sharp-tongued, anti-yuppie mission statements with "Kill the Poor," "California UEber Alles," and "Holiday in Cambodia." By the time of 1982's Plastic Surgery Disasters, the Dead Kennedys, largely due to Biafra's sneering sarcasm and tremulous, histrionic delivery and Ray's art-damaged rockabilly riffs, had tightened into America's finest hardcore export. Indeed, they were one of the most accomplished quartets of all time. Atop it all, Biafra spared no one (not even punk's misguided macho warriors) with the withering "Government Flu," "Terminal Preppie," "Nazi Punks Fuck Off," and "Religious Vomit." The band was as hunted and hated by the Christian Right as it was loved by the nascent punk subculture.

In 1985, Frankenchrist's notorious rant, "MTV -- Get Off the Air," was upstaged by claims that an H.R. Giger poster included in the album was obscene. The State of California even charged the band with disseminating pornography to minors. The band beat the rap on First Amendment grounds, but not before Biafra's apartment was raided by police, and the stress sapped the Dead Kennedys altogether. The final studio effort, 1986's Bedtime for Democracy, pushed for musical innovation with the disturbing "Chickenshit Conformist" and "DMSO." A collection of hits and rarities (Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death) surfaced just after the band's 1987 split, providing a transition into Biafra's increasingly vicious spoken-word world, where he gives liberals guilt for not being liberal enough. When the Dead Kennedys' time expired, "our lives were pretty separate," notes Peligro. "We bonded on the road, but we didn't hang out at home."

After the breakup, Biafra -- raised in Boulder, just six blocks from Jon Benet Ramsey's home -- continued exporting his "double-barreled info-tainment," touring, and recording while overseeing Alternative Tentacles.

Flouride released experimental oddities, among them an evil remake of "Shortnin' Bread." Ray wound up working with Skrapyard, Cell Block 5, Candy Ass, and rai singer Cheika Rimitti. At the end of the 1980s, Peligro briefly joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "I'll take complete fault for failing to go along with the program," remembers Peligro. "They just politely let me go."

The Dead Kennedys remained a fading memory until 1998, when the two sides began accusing each other of becoming traitors to democracy and decency. The subsequent slab of legalese that buried the band threatened to inter its legacy too. Biafra probably lost the case because his whiny voice -- which made the band's songs so bilious -- caused the jury to hate him. Additionally, his basic premise (the rest of the group became unfriendly, he says, after he refused to allow "Holiday in Cambodia" to be licensed for a Levi's commercial) was capably refuted by all three members.

"That's bullshit. It's just a bald-faced lie," sneers Peligro. "I assumed Biafra said that just to have the kids on his side." Though painfully acknowledging that the feuding was "hateful and hurtful," he says, "I'm not taking it so seriously anymore." But Biafra is: He recently issued a screed on the Alternative Tentacles Website that raises worthy points about the motives and integrity of the "rogue members." He's also hitting up fans to contribute to his legal defense fund, which riles his ex-bandmates, whose own propaganda takes Biafra to task for living in a $1.1 million home in San Francisco.

"I don't know exactly how much his house cost," testifies Peligro. "But I live in a studio apartment. I don't even have a bedroom. So somebody's doing better than me, and it ain't me!"

A good reason, Peligro figures, to cash in on the cachet of the Dead Kennedys' songs. And it excuses him for bringing aboard a scab singer to rehash old hits.

Ultimately, the opportunism permeating the Dead Kennedys' return stinks like a sewer. At least the Sex Pistols never claimed to be operating on principle, making their unwelcome comeback far more forgivable: Everyone knew it was about the cash. What Peligro, Ray, and Flouride have done is sell the soul of the band and drain its sweat equity, which leaves a rancid flavor on the taste buds of everyone involved, "myself included," Peligro concurs. "It's a real shame it came to that. We started the band so we could work and grow without all the big business influences. It does take away from the music."

Do fans realize this? Are they paying as much as $20 a ticket to show up just to heckle the band? Who can blame them? At the start of this tour, the Dead Kennedys' booking agent sent promoters an old photo of the original quartet -- lending heft to the bait-and-switch charges. Following that flap, the members almost apologetically offered to appear as the DK Kennedys. But the damage was already done, and sealed with shellac.

"I'm kind of pissed about that," mutters Peligro.

He's not the only one.

 
 
Rage
09:48 / 21.02.02
It's not the same without Jello. Let's go see The Dead after Jerry died why don't we.

They just came here to Orlando and I didn't go. Neither did anyone else I know.

I wonder if anyone from Alternative Tentacles even showed up.
 
 
videodrome
09:48 / 21.02.02
Nice article, Grant.
Is it just me, or has the legal battle become retroactively one-sided? Written by the winners, eh?
I recall word that Jello had offered to renumerate the band to the tune of 100 Grand with new royalty rates that were higher than those typically paid. Now, Jello's given to exaggeration at times, but he seems pretty forthright about all this.

ah here's a quote:
Ray bases his allegations on the fact that from 1989 to 1997, Dead Kennedys royalties were based upon a suggested retail list price (SRLP) of $10.98 for a Dead Kennedys CD. Ray agreed to this SRLP in 1989 and did not ask that it be changed until 1997 when he demanded that Alternative Tentacles start calculating the royalty on a $13.98 SRLP, approximately $1.00 higher than many other independent labels. In response we offered to correct the situation and recalculate the royalty according to the actual changes in the SRLP over the last ten years. Beyond that, I offered to make the calculation retroactive to 1989 and make up the difference from my own royalties. They never responded to our offer. We offered to let Ray go over the Alternative Tentacles books to make sure they were accurate, but he hasn't. Instead he has drawn the other ex-members into a no-win situation of extreme ill will. It sickens me.

Their mean-spirited attack traces back to my refusal to allow "Holiday In Cambodia" to be used in a Levis ? TV commercial (for Dockers Khakis, no less). I respect how much Dead Kennedys' music and message means to people. I am very grateful that people care so much about our albums after all these years. It means the world to me. I can think of no worse way to stab our fans in the back than to sell out to Levis?

And don't ask me about reunion concerts any time soon.


I've said for years that the one show I'd pay almost any amout to see is an honest to god DK gig - this ain't it. No way I'm going near it without a Molotov in each hand.
 
 
rizla mission
09:48 / 21.02.02
quote:
He's also hitting up fans to contribute to his legal defense fund, which riles his ex-bandmates, whose own propaganda takes Biafra to task for living in a $1.1 million home in San Francisco.


I think they've got him there.

hypocrites all round then. Lovely.
 
 
tSuibhne
13:14 / 21.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Rizla Year Zero:
[b]

I think they've got him there.

hypocrites all round then. Lovely.


Um, where is that number coming from though? I'd like to see Jello's responce first.
 
 
Margin Walker
15:42 / 21.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Rizla Year Zero:
[b]hypocrites all round then. Lovely.


"And now, here's the latest from the band that brought you 'Do The Slag!'..."

Y'know, it almost seems that the moral of the story here is "If you're gonna sell out, do it right away & without hesitation--It'll save ya a lot of headaches later in life"
 
 
01
00:32 / 22.02.02
Dead Kennedys is my all time favourite band.
This whole thing really makes me to vomit profusely while slowly making sense out of Pat Buchanan's politics.

[ 22-02-2002: Message edited by: 01 ]
 
 
Shortfatdyke
05:28 / 22.02.02
well, there seems to be a fair amount of morbid interest amongst london barbefolk in hanging around the camden underworld gig. perhaps we should draw straws and make someone go in? the rest of us can people watch upstairs and pontificate....
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
17:01 / 22.02.02
I'm morbidly fascinated by the whole idea... however, I will be (if I do) one of those yelling "Where's Jello" all the way through, so my report may not be too objective...
But, stepping back a minute, and having a deep breath... NO!!! THIS IS SO WRONG!
 
 
A
21:30 / 22.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Ragel Hinewater and The Magic Ring:
It's not the same without Jello. Let's go see The Dead after Jerry died why don't we.


Please. For the love of god. Things are bad enough already without comparing the Dead Kennedys to the Grateful Dead.
 
 
tSuibhne
16:09 / 24.02.02
quote:Originally posted by count adam:


Please. For the love of god. Things are bad enough already without comparing the Dead Kennedys to the Grateful Dead.


Yes, watch your comparisons, you might just shatter the punk's fragile little mind. Gotta keep the steriotypes of hippies vs. punk going. World wouldn't be right with out sterio types.

[/sarcasim]
 
 
Elijah, Freelance Rabbi
19:38 / 24.02.02
DONT BOTHER
they were here in New Mexico and stank the place up worse than it usually stinks
the worst was they never said on the radio
"DK with no Jello" and then they pulled this "with special guest" garbage instead of telling us that they replaced the lead
 
 
A
22:49 / 24.02.02
quote:Originally posted by tSuibhne:


Yes, watch your comparisons, you might just shatter the punk's fragile little mind. Gotta keep the steriotypes of hippies vs. punk going. World wouldn't be right with out sterio types.

[/sarcasim]


Okay, then in the spirit of togetherness, i suggest that Ray, Klaus and Peligro get together with the remaining members of the Greatful Dead to form an all-star supergroup called the Greatful Dead Kennedys, thereby trampling the legacies of both bands and uniting punk and hippie alike in mutual dismay at lousy cash-ins.

Then, with their forces combined, the punks and hippies will RISE UP and cast of the shackles of oppression, bringing peace and harmony to all living creatures.
 
  

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